Hi heathen
When I started taping, I had a similar problem in that the legs of my stand would be a tripping hazard. It worked out best if I could set up close to a wall or roped off area, and I could position two of the legs in low traffic areas, and just protect the one leg.
I also came up with another solution. It looks a bit bizarre but it works. Some SoCal tapers have seen me with this set up. My day job is a scientist, and a while ago, when the company I was working at shuttered its doors, I was able to rescue some lab items before they went into the trash. One is a heavy duty lab stand, typically used for suspending instruments. Then I have three "talon" clamps. I can clamp my light stand using the talon clamps, then secure those clamps onto the stand.
This way, all I need to protect is the base, which is a rectangular plate. It's a very tight footprint. I usually put my foot on it, put my bag on it, or slide it under the roped off area, or table, etc.
The drawback is that it can't handle too much weight like this. An pair of full bodied mics are fine, but if I want to add a video cam, another set of mics, etc, it starts to be a little too much.
It also breaks down very easily. The pole unscrews from the base, so I can put the base and clamps into my backpack, and the pole goes into the same bag as the mic stand.
But to your point about location, here in the Bay Area, the venues I've been to have hassled me about my stand, no matter how small the footprint and they make me set up in non ideal places. So I've reverted to hatting the mics to get to a better position.
Ted
Lately I've been trying to make an effort to think more about getting the best location in a venue first, and then gear tailored to that location second (rather than the other way around...I find I'm more inclined to think of gear first and foremost). I think it's fairly well-established that decent gear in the perfect location will make a better-sounding recording than superb gear in a mediocre location. (One thing that opened my eyes to this is the Audience Recording Hall of Fame thread...that Pink Floyd show from '77 was recorded on mics that most people on here would avoid if given the choice, yet 40 years later it still sounds great, which I can only assume is a testament to the taper picking the optimal location rather than having the best mics in existence.) So, what I've been trying to think about is: what gear best facilitates me getting set up in the optimal location?
One important caveat here is that, when possible, I prefer to mount my mics on something other than myself. That's just my own personal preference, of course, and not some rule that I think should apply to everyone. I can and do stealth shows with mics on my person, but given the choice I'd rather avoid that.
One of the things that I have found (in my admittedly limited experience compared to most tapers on here) that limits where I can set up is my mic stands. I use mic stands with the three legs in the bottom section, like many on here. Those obviously take up space because of their footprint, but they also can be tripped over in a dark and crowded venue. Obviously, mounting mics on my person is a way to prevent this, but see my caveat above. Another potential solution is using a clamp or securing the stand to something so the legs don't need to be extended. The limitation with this approach is the need to have something to clamp onto...if that something isn't in the ideal location, then it's not terribly helpful.
That leaves alternative mic stand designs. One that doesn't present as much of a tripping hazard is the mic stand with a heavy base. Those heavy bases, however, present problems in terms of portability (does anyone feel that they want to make their bag heavier than it already is?) and questions from security when bringing gear in. Another possibility is a monopod. There's virtually no tripping hazard with a monopod, but the big downside is that it can't stand up on its own. You're left to either recruit a very willing helper, or keep one hand on the monopod throughout the show. I have seen some monopods with little feet that can extend at the bottom, but those don't seem nearly stable enough to be trusted on their own in a dark and crowded venue.
A context I have in mind for this whole issue is a show where maybe taping is allowed, but they want you to set up in a less-than-ideal location (so you try to get set up in the sweet spot instead, but have to keep a low profile). That or some of the shows where might have no trouble bringing in whatever gear you want, but you still have to keep your setup inconspicuous.
Unfortunately I don't have any silver bullet answer, and am more looking for input from others about how to tailor your setup towards prioritizing location. This is not to suggest that anyone on here just sets up wherever is most convenient and doesn't consider where the sweet spot might be. Keep in mind I'm thinking of my own tendency to focus on gear first, which maybe others succumb to at times as well.
(I know I've focused a lot on how to mount mics, but I recognize there are other considerations as well. For example, it's easier to set up anywhere with a more compact setup...actives, IPAs, and M10 versus bigass LDs, outboard preamp, and 788T.)